Topping List

J

jcorliss78

New Member
Can someone with a topping lift suggest what I should use to tap/mount the eye to the mast, where to position it, etc.

Also, the marina recommended mounting a small pulley back by the outhaul pulley and then running the topping lift rope to a clam cleat opposite the outhaul cleat. Any thoughts on that?

oh, and pardon the typo in the subject line, I didn't notice until afterwards, and I'm unable to correct it. lol
 
Topping List... now only thing I could come up with would be me on the low side, causing the list!... hehe, a stiff wind and we'd have a scuttle in the works, but I digress.

Anwyay, tap it with a hammer and a 16d nail (cheap solution)... somewhere on the aft side of the mast, above the sheave for the mainsail. Mine was on the starboard side of the track for the sail which ran the length of the mast.

Yes, I like the idea of a block for the topping lift, to a clam cleat. I had one on the other side for jiffy reefing otherwise I would have done it myself. I had jiffy reefing on one side and an outhaul block and cleat on the other.

If money is less an issue, consider a boom kicker...
 
Topping Lift mounting

Thank Shnool. I didn't know if I needed to tap with a drill bit and use a tiny molly to secure or if I could just screw in an eyehoop directly. Aluminum is not a material I'm used to.

Just to confirm this weekends project, take a 16d nail, tap a starting point, then directly mount the eyehoop slightly starboard of the boltrope track... I was thinking about 12" from the top of the mast. Should I marine sealant the holes in the mast/boom? I'd like to take the oppurtunity to spray in expanding foam through the exposed holes. My foam "plug" at the top of the mast seems secure but seems to be a rather common upgrade on the forums.
 
12" from the top of the mast seems too low to me. Mine was literally 1" from the top, if that... it was higher than the bolt for the top sheave. Then the line used for the topping lift was light (I called it kite string, but it was heavier than that, but diameter was pretty small).

This was done before I got the boat (I think it spent time on a mooring with the previous owner). Anyway, yes I would put a D-ring at the top of the mast, just starboard of the bolt rope slot... the reason for the height is so that you can leave the topping lift attached during sailing (without tension of course), and it should float FREE of the roach of the main. In my avatar you can see, the mainsail of the capri reaches to nearly the top of the mast with normal trim.

As for the expanding foam... My mast still had the original in it, about 12 inches down from the sheave (check with a flashlight to see if yours does too, heck mine was a 1986). Either way, I know that is not enough floatation to keep her from turtling when she goes over (only thing that can do that is a baby-bob - which I think is a bit extreme, but whatever).

She's a centerboard, lightweight, go fast planing sailboat so capsize is always a possibility.
 
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